Thursday, January 26, 2012

Overcoming Pie Crust Phobia

I confess.

I have a pie crust phobia.

Yes, I’m a food writer
who avoids making pie crusts.

My fear began in my days of middle school home
economics class and continued on for years. My crusts were either too thin, too
tough, or they would shrink down into the pie pan, leaving an unusable mess.
Joyous was the day when I discovered Pillsbury Pie Crust! I vowed to never make
another crust again.

Still, I’ve always felt this nagging need to learn to make a
perfect pie crust. This week’s selection from the Gourmet Live 50 WomenGame-Changers, which I and a group of my fellow food bloggers post about each
Friday, gave me the nudge I needed to try pie crust again.

This week we are honoring Tracey Ryder and Carole Topalian, the
co-founders of Edible Communities, a company that publishes 70 magazines across
North America with a focus on the local foods movement. The
recipe I selected is a Jam Tart, which was posted by Tracey Ryder on the Edible Communities blog. I was both encouraged and a bit disheartened by the first
line in her recipe introduction: “This tart is one of the easiest desserts
you’ll ever make, providing you are able to make a simple pie crust.”

It worked! Well, sort of. The tart was delicious. When cut,
a slice can be eaten by hand, kind of like a fancy Pop Tart with its jam
filling. But it could easily be dressed up with whipped cream, crème fraiche,
or ice cream for an after dinner dessert.

For the filling, I used Tiptree Black Cherry Preserve from
Wilkin and Sons in England
(purchased at Brits in Lawrence, Kansas,
one of my very favorite shops.)

As for the crust, it was flaky and buttery,
but far from perfect. I added too much water, and even with lots of flour on
the counter as I rolled it out, the dough was still a bit sticky. Moving the
dough to the baking sheet was also a challenge—it tore in a couple of places. However,
the rustic style of this tart saved me.

Now I’m a fan of rustic pies. In fact, I may never make any
other kind!

Jam Tart

From the Edible Stories Blog

For the crust:

Combine 1 1/2 cups flour and two sticks of butter in the
bowl of your food processor [since I used unsalted butter, I also added 1/2
teaspoon salt] and add ice water (up to 1/3 cup) until dough forms and holds
together in a ball. Roll out onto floured work surface until approximately 12 –
15 inches across and 1/4 inch thick. Dough
does not have to be perfectly round since you will be folding the sides over
the tart before baking and a irregular shape looks great.

Place dough onto a sheet of parchment paper that has been
placed onto a cookie sheet and is trimmed to fit its dimensions.

For the filling:

Spread a jar of your favorite (preferably, homemade) jam
onto the center of the dough, making sure to leave about 3″ border of dough
around the edges. Fold edges over the center where the jam has been spread so
that the jam doesn’t leak out while baking.

Using a pastry brush, baste top of crust with an egg wash
(one egg, beaten with a fork and combined with a Tablespoon of milk or water). [I also sprinkled sugar on top of the egg wash.]

Place tart in a pre-heated 375 degree oven and bake for 25-35
minutes, or until crust is golden brown and center is bubbling.

Optional garnish: if you have extra fresh fruit in the frig
that needs to be used, such as raspberries or blackberries, sprinkle those over
jam before baking.

Wow - we're overwhelmed by your kindness toward us and with this wonderful post - thank you so much! Glad the jam tart worked (and I love all the ideas for dressing it up too)! It gives new meaning to the old saying about something being "easy as pie" -- cheers and thanks, Tracey Ryder & Carole Topalian, Edible Communities.

I cook and bake the way I play the piano, so you can imagine the results. Therefore, I gots no recipe for ya, sorry...lol. However comma...you don't need one! This looks scrummy. Know what else would be good on top? A wee bit of Devonshire...yum!

I'm glad I'm not the only one who has troubles with crust. Thanks for the comments. Tracey, I'm glad you and Carole liked the post! I admire your focus on all things local. It is something I believe in very much. Tee, Devonshire cream would be lovely on top!